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County reviews IT proposal from Nex-Tech

LYNDON—The Osage County Commission heard a second presentation from Brian Meder, of Nex-Tech, for management and provision of computers and servers for the county agencies.

“We’re very pleased with what you’re offering,” said Ken Kuykendall, Osage County Commissioner. “We’re not going to pull the trigger on anything today. We’re still learning, examining and thinking.”

Meder presented a plan for both hardware and support for a first-time client fee of $1,000 followed by a monthly fee of $7,556.11. The proposal included 54 new PCs and monitors, backup, 54 exchange email accounts, 1 physical and 4 virtual windows servers, 1 firewall, and 54 office suites.

The exchange and office suites would bring all users to using the same system.

“As a legal advisor, I’d like to see all that come under one roof,” said Caleb Cook, county counselor.

“We want to move away from Yahoo, Hotmail, and all that…” Meder said.

Meder touted his company’s backup abilities, which include on site duplication of all user files, on a local server and to an extra backup device, as well as offsite backup.

“There is no better plan for backing data,” Meder said. “If there becomes a better plan, we’ll be on it.”

Glen Tyson, road and bridge superintendent, updated the county on two bridge replacement projects. Tyson said a pour would need redone on the project at 125th Street and Fairlawn Road, where a hole developed in the sidewalls near the corner of the culvert. Tyson said the issue was likely cause by insufficient vibrating during the pour.

“We could have been using it by now,” Tyson said. “We’re looking at a long time now.”

The contractor was directed to chisel out the deficient area and repour, which can only take place during warmer weather. Tyson noted it’s the same bridge that had previously been run into, and was the site of a stolen trailer.

“That’s the one with all the problems,” Tyson said.

“That’s the lucky bridge,” Kuykendall said.

Tyson noted that the barricades and signs had been placed at Bridge 111, located on Valencia Road between 341st and 349th streets. He said work would begin there soon, regardless of cold weather.

“On all the rest of them, there’s really no work going on,” Tyson said.

Tyson also noted a future need to update pumps at the county fuel station, and that stakes had been marked for dig sites for the sewer project at the Sail-A-Way subdivisions.

In other business, commissioners:

• heard from Byron Jordan, Osage County Senior Center director, that parking issues had arose with cars being left in the county lot east of the building.

“We need that space,” Jordan said.

Jordan said signs are up against the building, but not on the entrance to the lot.

“Somebody thought they had too much to drink,” Kuykendall. “They got a ride home, and I don’t want to discourage that. I can see the problem with leaving it, too.”

Jordan had been contacting owners of the vehicles, and would contact the commissioners if problems persist.

• heard from Osage County Sheriff Laurie Dunn that the department had no updates on a wolfes spotted in Osage County last week, but had received calls from Osage County to Iola.

“We’ve had all kinds of reports around Osage City,” Dunn said. “It might be a nice wolf, it might not be a nice wolf. I just don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

Dunn said one citation had been issued for a person having an animal.

• heard from Anne Gray, Osage County Health Department director, that flu vaccines are available through the department.

“It’s not to late to get your shot,” Gray said. “It takes two weeks to immunize.”

Gray said Kansas was one of 10 states where the flu was listed as heavily going around, but that much of the sickness in the area was not due to the virus.

• heard from Stacy Berry, county appraiser, that real estate appraisal software has been down for four weeks, and will be down for three or four more while a server is repaired.

“Were going to try and retrieve all that data,” Kuykendall said. “We’re moving toward letting the state host us. Hopefully that will work out.”

Berry will be sending out personal property renditions Dec. 31 for boats, trailers, golf carts and related items. All boats are taxable now, and taxes will be due by March 15, or incur a penalty.

• payments had not been made to Deffenbaugh, Inc., which hauls wastes from the Osage County Transfer Station. The October payment was made Dec. 1, and payments for November and December had not been billed. Each payment is around $25,000.

• approved a $3,000 reimbursement payment from the state to go to the Osage County Economic Development Corporation. The refunds were part of a moderate income housing program that was terminated in October 2013.

“We couldn’t get anything off the ground,” said Stephanie Watson, Osage County economic development director. “It’s too expensive to build.”

• approved $1,500 payment to Manitron for information distribution services for the Osage County Appraiser’s Office.

• heard the automated opener on the handicap door on the west entrance needed repaired, and would cost around $1,100. The old mechanism was still working when new doors were put in, and was not replaced.

• tabled contribution to the Orion Enhancement Fund. The $1,226.20 funds improvements to the free software utilized by the appraiser’s office.

• discussed “Holiday Excitement” employee dinner, which was cancelled due to lack of support. Commissioners discussed having an employee appreciation lunch in the summer.